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Here, There. . . and Transylvania?

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Alan Edelstein
Alan Edelstein was a lawyer and lobbyist in California for 30 years. He currently lives in Jerusalem and Sacramento,
… [More]California and consults on governmental affairs, communications, politics, and business development. He blogs at www.edelsteinrandomthoughts.com. Inquiries regarding speaking engagements: ae@edelsteinstrategies.com [Less]

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The garbage that is Jew-hatred is truly amazing. It seems to be everywhere these days, and if the consequences of not taking it seriously had not proven so tragic over the centuries, it might actually be amusing.

First up is CNN International. CNN International pretty much admits to being a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Arab world. Many of its broadcasts announce up front that they are “in cooperation with” a company based in an Arab country, an Arab country’s tourism or trade development office, or with the country directly.

The content of the network’s broadcasts confirms the bonds. The most glaring example is the weekly Marketplace Middle East program. Through this and other programs, CNN International focuses, or fixates, on the purportedly robust, free, creative, impressive, unbelievable businesses and business opportunities in the welcoming marketplace of the Middle East, particularly the Gulf States.

Somehow in all of the gushing regarding the Middle East’s tremendous business environment, CNN International manages to completely ignore Israel. This, despite the fact that Israel has become a hotbed of technology, start-ups, IPO’s, and the like. Think Waze and SodaStream. Multiply by a lot.

Just about every hi-tech firm imaginable has bought an Israeli start-up or two or three and/or opened R&D centers here. Think Google, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, and, just recently, Facebook. Multiply. In 2006 Israel exported about $15 billion in electronics and software equipment.

Israel has the world’s highest percentage of engineers, with 135 per 10,000 persons, compared to 85 per 10,000 persons in the U.S. The IMF puts Israel at 25th in per capita GNP, far ahead of any Arab nation other than those that gush oil and deny basic rights to guest workers.

Despite this impressive record, CNN International never seems to mention Israel when celebrating the seemingly tremendous Middle East business environment from its CNN Abu Dubai studios. Well, with one exception: Recently, when CNN International discussed why business is hitting some bumps in the road in the Middle East, it referred to the often troubling security situation.

Did CNN International mention problems in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq, or any of the other of a whole menu of Arab countries where violence is rampant and random? Nope. It focused solely on a World Bank assessment of just how better off economically the Palestinians would do if Israel did not restrict their movements.

Of course, there was little mention of why the Israelis have taken the security measures that restrict some Palestinian movement, i.e., the little matter of blowing up children on buses and restaurants and shopping malls.

Of course, one does not need the EU or CNN to inform you about corruption in the Palestinian Authority. Just ask any Palestinian businessman or woman or, for that matter, almost any Palestinian.

As reported in the same article that disclosed the unaccounted $2.6 billion, a Palestinian opinion poll conducted in July of last year “found that 71 percent of respondents believed that corruption existed in PA institutions under the control of President Mahmoud Abbas.”

CNN International’s allergy to Israel apparently affected the voice of one of its anchors, Michael Holmes, during his recent report on the announcement of this year’s Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. Two of this year’s winners are Israeli-Americans who now teach in the U.S. and retain their Israeli citizenship

After announcing the winners, Holmes mentioned which university each one was associated with. He then looked down and apparently noted that they were Israelis and were or had been associated with Israeli institutions.

Instead of reporting on their relationships with Israel, Holmes visibly hesitated, stumbled a bit, and then just trailed off with something like “they’ve also taught at other places in another country.” It was truly high-level journalism by a reporter who certainly is acquainted with Israel from his years of reporting on the region.

The Qatari media is controlled by the ruler of Qatar, the same dictator who owns Al Jazeera, who is the same dictator that made Gore an even richer environmentalist than he already was by buying his failing radio and TV network for millions and millions of dollars.

The question now is whether and when FINA will take some action against this anti-sporting behavior. Don’t hold your breath. If international sporting federations had been taking action against this sort of behavior, it would not still be happening.

An even bigger question is whether FIFA (international soccer federation) will take note and action as plans proceed for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (While soccer does not generate much excitement in the U.S., for its importance to the rest of the world, think Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Championships all at the same time.)

The big worry for FIFA to date has been the intense summer heat and how changing the season of the games might impact revenues. In a distant second place has been the fact that the facilities are being built by Qatar’s virtually indentured migrant slave labor.

Interestingly, whatever focus that has occurred on the labor issue has simply been on correcting the conditions for the workers on the project. The fact that the rest of Qatar is built by the same oppressed workforce does not seem to bother anyone.

In any event, it would be nice if the host countries for these international sporting events were required to treat all athletes and their countries equally and with respect. In other words, the governing bodies should force them to be “good sports” even if their bigotry and hate prevents such conduct from coming naturally.

In a strange sort of way it seems fitting that these illustrations of the irrational Jew-hating that goes on in the Middle East should happen at about the same time we have confirmation of what many have long-suspected: that Jew-hatred amongst the elites of England is back and in the open. After all, it was the British that made contradictory promises, drew irrational lines, and generally exploited many of the people of the Middle East in the service of the Empire, thus helping to create much of the confusion and dysfunction that now characterize the region.

Many doubt that British Jew hatred ever actually disappeared. Rather, they believe that it was politely tucked away for about 60 years after the Holocaust. In the last few years, a line-up of British hob-nobbers and wanna-be elitists have expressed their disdain for Israel, Zionists, and when their hair was really down, Jews.

Another primary reason identified by Straw does seem fairly original. According to Straw, the Germans have “an obsession” with defending Israel. Who knew? Hard to understand why Germany might take a special interest in ensuring that fair-minded people like Straw don’t do harm to six or seven million Jews.

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